The Scarlet Serpents
by Actress2b
Summary: Hogwarts has fallen under Snape's rule. The Slytherins run wild and the Gryffindors are doing all they can to control the anorchy. However, things start to change when Draco begins to question all and soon finds that he is not alone. DracoAstoria SeamusOC
1. Ambush

**A/N: OK, So this is my first Harry Potter fiction on this site that I'm actually proud of - there was one ghastly attempt when I was younger, but that was deleted. **

**I didn't manage to get a full summary so I'll just say a few things: **

**- The only warning I would really give would be violence and mild scenes of a sexual nature.  
- There might also be some strong language at the end, but that's debatable.  
- The main ships are Draco/Astoria and Seamus/OC. However, there will be others. **

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The dark didn't seem to stop her strides as she stalked up the stairs of the Gryffindor tower, every fibre of her being quivering with pure exhilaration. She had never been given so much responsibility before — especially not with such assurance from her _superiors_. Her lips were pursed with determination that made all her features lose the girlish appearance that her seemingly less-than-attractive face had burdened her with. She had always been taunted about how she had been treated like an ill-abused dog — so happy, yet so displeasing.

When she had finally reached the top, she grinned and moved back into the shadows, trying to slink away like a cat. Her eyes squinted in wait for some kind of signal from the others. It was due any time now, unless this was turning into some kind of cruel trick. No, Draco would never do a thing like that to her — again.

Finally, she saw a figure in the darkness and confidently gave a curt nod, before stuffing her knuckle into her mouth to stop her squealing with the excitement of it all. The figure swept around and nodded himself to someone, whom she assumed had followed him to the meeting place. The message had been past; the coast was clear.

Or so they thought.

'I can hear them,' said Ginny, her ear pressed against the portrait hole. 'Well, sort of. I can hear this muffled... _squawking_ sound... I believe she's part of _your_ year.'

'Pansy,' murmured Seamus with disdain, 'yes, I think she's in ours.' How could he merely think? This was now the seventh year that he was being forced to endure that wretch.

'Let's get her now!' said Neville excitedly.

Seamus and Ginny both looked at Neville before rolling their eyes and returning to their original post. Neville had been waiting for a long time to finally get something done about Pansy Parkinson and the other Slytherins, all under the rule of the infamous Draco Malfoy. And Neville wasn't the only one. When the offer was given to the others students, the prospect of it made most of the Gryffindor house volunteer to be apart of it, and those who didn't were willing to help prepare and let the chips fall where they may.

'I think they're doing something,' said Ginny hurriedly. 'They're moving, all right. I think — yes — they're coming closer!'

'Into position,' whispered Seamus sharply, and all of the others began running around the room, some leaving the dormitories, while others entered. Seamus grinned to himself, secretly loving the power that he apparently had over everyone there at the time — even though it was actually Neville's idea to set up this ambush. It was probably Neville's best idea ever, giving them the idea that tonight was the best night to strike.

And the first bang could be heard.

One of the first-years gave a loud, grunting sound, and the illusion of disturbed slumber had been complete. Nobody listening in — especially considering the intelligence of the people they were dealing with was minimal — could have questioned the idea that the element of surprise was _not_ in the Gryffindors' favour.

'Wait,' said one of the Slytherins. Her voice was feminine and delicate, and rather soothing. Seamus shook his head, noting to himself that now was not the best time to consider the attractiveness of her voice.

The next voice was clearly Pansy's. 'What is it?' Neville could almost hear her nostrils flaring.

'Are you sure they have no clue? It all seems a little perfect, doesn't it? Them boasting about the early night. It's as if they were inviting it. Can't we wait until tomorrow?'

'Of course I'm sure. I would have noticed if they suspected us!'

'Well done,' muttered Ginny, 'you know the word "suspected".' This was followed by silent giggles.

Pansy's harsh whispers took the girl back a little. 'I just meant-'

'Do shut up, Astoria,' said another female voice. Was this a complete female invasion?

This silenced the other, slightly more wise, girl and so the tension began to build again. Muttering, what everyone assumed to be the password and the door flew open, rebounding against the wall.

There were around ten — so far as Seamus could make out. The first few to enter were men, who seemed to not want to survey their surroundings at all. This was their first mistake, and the Gryffindors' advantage. As long as they didn't immediately know they were there, they should be fine.

Next were a couple of women. One was Pansy and the other, Daphne Greengrass. There was something about the two which was more threatening than the overconfident men, who were now finding it amusing to knock over the various items of furniture in the room. However, there was a certain amount of excitement behind the event that must have clouded their vision, as they didn't look too far into the dark.

Then there were another two girls. They both seemed younger than the others — perhaps they were only fifth-years? One of them had the remarkable resemblance of Daphne, having her same dark and distinguished features. Nevertheless, she was much more attractive, her face being more fresh with full lips and bright eyes. The same couldn't really be said for her friend, whose blonde hair was in a slick ponytail. There was nothing that could really be said for her face, because it was more hidden from the dark than her friend.

'Let's just light up the place,' said Pansy impatiently.

'No,' said one of the men, whom Seamus couldn't recognise. 'It's best if we get them in the dark. I don't want any light sleepers being the least bit alerted.

'We'll take the girls, then?' asked Daphne calmly.

'Yes,' said the man, 'but remember to just take what we have to. I don't want any suspicions.'

'So who are we after?'

'From here? Just Weasley, at the moment.'

A smirk appeared on Pansy's face. 'The blood traitor.'

Daphne turned towards the two younger girls. 'You two wait here. You'll probably find some intricate way to screw up. Perhaps not you, Leela, but I know that Astoria is _hardly_ intelligent. Sometimes I find it hard to believe that she's my own flesh and blood.'

Leela looked towards Astoria sympathetically, but Astoria merely shrugged it off, saying satirically, 'Obviously my sister knows best. We'll stay.' Her eyes then moved immediately towards where Seamus was standing and she smirked; she knew.

'Let's move.'

Astoria waited for all the other Slytherins to move towards the dormitories before she turned to Seamus again and said, 'I'm curious. What's waiting for them?'

'No one.'

'So everyone willing to attack is surrounding me, then?'

'I wouldn't sound so casual,' said Leela, squinting her eyes. 'There has to be around... I'm too tired to count.'

Astoria smirked. 'Funny, I thought it was just that you can't count.'

Leela slapped her lightly on the arm and they both chuckled softly. Astoria then said, more severely, 'So, you think I should run for it?'

'What about the others? Your sister?' asked Ginny sternly.

'Oh, that takes too much _thinking_ to alert the others.' Astoria and Leela turned and began to walk away before she slyly added, 'And I'm _hardly intelligent_, after all. All the best.'

The two of them scurried out, both gossiping amongst themselves. Halting at the door, Astoria faced Seamus for the final time that evening and said, 'If you ever meet Harry, send him my best. I think it would be rather dull if _he_ ruled, don't you?'

The two left and Ginny asked, with completely disbelief, 'Who _are_ they?'

Laughing to himself, Seamus replied, 'They have the best either the best or the _worst_ Slytherins I have ever met.

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**A/N: So, I hope that you enjoyed it! It's not really the typical story - though this site may be different. Feel free to review... in fact, please R&R. **

**All the best x **


	2. A Slytherin Retreat

**A/N: Since I seem to be having a lapse of insomnia - typical of teenagers - I have written the second chapter already and have decided that I'm too excited to wait yet. **

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Draco looked at the clock dully and walked towards his dormitory, before huffing with irritation and sitting back down again; this had to be at least the third time that he had done the task in the past half hour. What were they doing? He had told them that this little plan of theirs had grown increasingly idiotic by the second and that there was no point anyway. All it would do was probably aggravate them. He knew the Weasleys well enough to know that they wouldn't go down because of a threat — even if a punch or two was also involved.

And it was coming towards one o'clock; they all said that they would be done by midnight - if not earlier. What in Merlin's name was the world coming to? He had to be mad to have let this happen. He was only joking when he allowed Pansy; it was merely a way to humour her. She had always gone on about how she never got enough opportunities to do anything for him. He never thought that when he told everyone that Pansy was to lead that they would actually take him seriously. Any man with half a brain would have picked up that he would never seriously consider Pansy as an authoritative figure.

Finally, the door swung open, but only two entered. First was Leela Downing, someone who Draco didn't even know existed until a couple of weeks ago. Nevertheless, she certainly made a lasting impression in the way she cooly blurted out that she didn't want to go through with it because "it might just be a little harsh". That certainly got her a few stares from the others. Draco was assured that she meant that it was a little harsh to start off with, but Draco wasn't an idiot.

The other was Astoria Greengrass. Draco knew her sister a lot better, but had no particular interest in either of them. Daphne seemed strong enough, but there was something about her which suggested that she really wanted the lead, and that was dangerous. There were bruises all down her arm from where he had frequently witnessed her sister punch her in annoyance. In fact, Draco had noticed that punching Astoria was a frequent past time of Daphne's - not that he'd say anything to Daphne himself; his skin was too pale to risk it.

'Where are the others?' he demanded.

Waving her hand nonchalantly in air, Astoria replied, 'Not too sure. We saw trouble and ran for our lives.'

'And you just left them?' Rather than sounding outraged like he had intended, his tone was more curious. The truth was, he was slightly curious. He had been under the impression that these two were the softest, the least likely to have left them behind. However, he also knew how much resentment that they had for some of the people who went with them.

'They could handle themselves,' said Leela in defence. 'It was lucky that we got out of there, as well. We were completely surrounded!' Leela decided not to tell him that the people surrounding them let them off completely. She almost lifted her hand up to her forehead, but decided that it was too dramatic and that he would see through it in a second. It was sadly her curse of bad acting.

His first reaction was to lecture, until he once again noticed the pale bruises on Astoria's body. Even though he knew he shouldn't, he felt oddly sympathetic towards it. He may not like Astoria or her friend, but he knew that there was only so much more damage he could do in comparison to what she already received. Draco rubbed his temples and grimly said, 'I suppose it's understandable.'

Astoria tried to conceal her dissatisfaction. It shouldn't have been understandable. She had taken so much pleasure in imagining Draco's face when he found out about them, powerless to attack any purebloods. But now he merely looked worn out, and that was no good at all.

In all honesty, Astoria harboured a deep hatred for Draco Malfoy; he reminded her awfully of her sister. He always had a smug expression, and constantly took it upon himself to become the leader, never believing that he had an equal. Astoria wanted the satisfaction of annoying him, but she never got the nerve to do anything about it. Until now, and he was too tired to care. In a way, it was just plain rude.

Leela immediately strode off to her bed, having complained about being practically ill with fatigue for hours. The truth was, she was emotionally exhausted rather than physically. The shock of her becoming prefect was nothing, knowing that Severus Snape thought that she was the worst Slytherin on the planet, but it had only been a couple days in and she was attacking innocent people because of their blood status.

Collapsing onto the bed, Leela thought back to the last time she saw Severus Snape out of class, last year.

_'Anything that you can talk about with Dumbledore, you can surely talk about with me. I'm your Head of House.'_

_Leela fiddled with her blonde hair uncomfortably. She regretted having tied it up, thinking that it would have been useful to have something to cover her face. Her cheeks became rather flushed as she predicted the conversation ahead. Her eyes scanning the room she finally said, 'You know why I'm here. Same as always.'_

_'Ah,' said Snape in a low voice. 'That again.'_

_Leela never liked how casually Snape treated the subject. It may just be trivial but him, but she found it increasingly important with every passing year. Hiding any contempt, she innocently began with, 'I know it doesn't happen -'_

_'And there is a reason for that. The Sorting Hat never makes a mistake. You are a Slytherin. No matter how much some may think differently.'_

_It was now perhaps the third time that she had asked for it - the third official time anyway. There had been plenty of moments where she hinted towards it, to which it was completely denied. It was her one plea: to let her change house. It wasn't that she didn't think she was a Slytherin, because countless memories showed that she certainly did go well with the House. However, there was one tiny problem; the people._

_Her House was filled with people that she never wanted to associate herself with. Apart from Astoria, she just didn't think that she had any amiable feelings for anyone in her year. She always found herself finding the Ravenclaws' wit better, or the Gryffindors' skill or the Hufflepuffs' morally in the right, but was never allowed to show it as it was considered treason to do so. It was as if she was stuck in an olden day court, and she refused to be some prim Lady-In-Waiting._

_'Professor Snape, I know that you don't agree with the suggestion, but I really feel that maybe I might be better in another house.'_

_'No,' said Snape bluntly. 'Miss Downing, you are in _my_ House. There is no other way of thinking about it. And you may not agree with me, but I think that you will show yourself to be a very useful addition.'_

Groaning, Leela threw her head face down onto the pillow. What did he mean? Thinking back, he acted as if he actually had something in mind, but she didn't have a clue. And Dumbledore was the exact same when she asked him. It was all about how she was needed in Slytherin. She didn't even play Quidditch! She was never the kind of person to earn House Points, so she didn't see what they would mean there. And even though her grades were fine, that hardly did anything for the House.

'What's wrong with you?' asked Astoria, slipping into her pyjamas.

'You definitely think that we were Sorted into the right House?'

'Don't start that again.'

'But I'm serious. Don't you ever think that -' Leela drifted off as she heard a sudden scream from the Common Room. Her eyes wide, she looked towards Astoria, who also knew exactly what was wrong; they were back.

Astoria didn't do anything, feeling that there was no point denying what was the inevitable. However, Leela couldn't stand the thought of what was to come. She began muttering excuses while placing on her dressing gown. Part of her knew there was no point; if she wanted to have stopped it, she should have just acted like a Slytherin and made Astoria do it with her, no matter how much she wanted to spite the others.

The door burst open and Daphne entered, her face flushed as red, with large eyebrows that would have been seriously comical - had it not been for the situation. She immediately walked over to Astoria and, clutching onto a large chunk of her hair, began to drag her towards the Common Room.

Reminding herself that there was no point in crying over the situation, Astoria let herself become something similar to a lifeless doll until she was finally thrown into the centre of the room. Leela shortly followed, holding onto her dressing gown for dear life.

'What was that?' Daphne hissed, making a point of stamping on Astoria's foot as she said it.

Pretending to act dumb, Astoria asked weakly, 'What do you mean?'

'We came down and you were gone. But we were met by some charming Gryffindors. _Armed_ Gryffindors, even. That was certainly a fun show.' Daphne then threw her foot into Astoria's stomach at full force, making her cry out.

'Didn't you hear us shout out?' asked Leela in mock surprise.

'Because you are not my sister, I will resist the urge to slap you right now.'

'But we did shout. I decided that there was no point sitting in darkness, as they would be woken up soon enough, so I turned on the light with my wand, and there they all were.'

'It was awful,' added Astoria, her voice slightly wheezy from being winded. 'We - we just managed to get out. We didn't think we'd stand a chance, what with the numbers and skill.'

'We were humiliated. You two ruined _everything_!'

'You were the ones who wanted us to stay there!'

Daphne lifted up her hand, but it was skilfully caught by Draco, who threw her arm to one side. 'Now isn't the time to use her as a punching bag.'

Astoria rose her head up as high as she could. She wasn't going to seem weak - especially when it meant that Draco seemed like her saviour in some way.

Draco noticed this defiant attitude, but chose not to say anything against it. Instead, he continued. 'The bottom line is, you all failed. Am I correct?'

The sound of shuffling of feet could be heard and Daphne snapped, 'We're not toddlers. Stand up tall.' She kept her eye on Draco while saying it, watching his reaction. His lips slightly tightened, but he seemed mostly composed. She then said to him, 'It didn't go as planned.'

'Well, of course it didn't. The plan was to succeed.'

There was a cold silence. Astoria knew that Daphne would have seen it as a slap in the face. Draco was always a kid to Daphne, who was satisfied with his two dim-witted friends and Pansy. However, now he was proving to be a threat to what she wanted, which Astoria could easily guess was supreme power, or something along those lines.

'I told you,' said Draco, when nobody else spoke, 'that it was worthless. But you went and did it anyway. Well, hat's off to you, I suppose. You managed to make them realise that we're prepared to fight already.'

'And that's a bad thing?'

'Judging by the fact that they can train themselves, thus making it harder?' Draco paused for a moment. 'I think it's a terrible thing.'

Refusing to look Draco in the eye, Daphne said bitterly, 'I need sleep.'

'Sweet dreams,' said Draco sarcastically.

Once everyone had left the room, apart from Astoria, who was feebly trying to keep herself stable, Draco sighed and scooped up her left side to help her. She shrugged it off, saying, 'I'll be fine. You don't need to worry about me.'

'I'm not. But this is getting very boring.'

Not letting go of her, Draco continued to help her until he couldn't go any further. Though slightly reluctant, she murmured, 'Thank you.'

'It seems that you and your sister are allergic to help.'

'Depends on who's giving the aid.'

'Ouch.' Draco rolled his eyes. 'I suppose you go and beat up your little sister any chance you get, as well?'

Astoria's eyes became wide and she said haughtily, 'That's none of your business!'

'So you do?'

'I do not!'

'Well, that's nothing to be ashamed of. Or does Daphne -'

'I don't even have a little sister! And Daphne does it to get her message across. Maybe that's exactly what _you_ need to make you realise that asking questions like that can seem extremely rude.'

'And you're going to give me this beating?'

'Of course not.'

Draco smiled, but didn't realise that Astoria muttered a spell, that knocked Draco to the ground. When he had registered what just occurred and looked up with shock, she said, 'I would never do anything that primitive. This is much more efficient.'

But as soon as she entered her room, she felt a stab of guilt, letting the tears stream freely as punishment.


	3. To Escape Is To Dream

**A/N: And here's the third chapter! More of a thoughtful chapter than anything! Enjoy! And remember, reviews are never under appreciated... **

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The Gryffindor common room looked like it had been completely upturned. the sofas appeared to be completely destroyed, leaving its entrails lying absent-mindedly on the ground, reminding Ginny of how the Earth looked every year, when it had only begun to lightly snow. It only seemed fitting that this event was somehow connected with winter.

'Can't wait to see the Carrows tomorrow,' commented Neville dryly as he straightened one of the chairs nearest to the fire, making sure that the singed area had repaired itself. 'If the Slytherins have told on us, it should certainly be a fun lesson.'

Quietly snorting, Ginny straightened out the rug in front of the sofa, trying to make it in line with the rest. 'I don't think they'll say anything. Imagine them reporting that they attacked but _failed_?'

As Neville nodded his head, they both spotted a forth-year, Cory Daniels, attempting to woo two other young girls with his version of events. 'And so, I waved my wand and sent the chair flying, so that one of the legs hit him in the eye!' Ginny smiled, not wanting to burst his bubble and inform the girls that the actual story was that Cory was hiding behind the chair, and the Slytherin had unfortunately tripped and hit his eye on the upturned chair's leg.

Nevertheless, the girls seemed sufficiently fooled, as they were awing at him and begging to look after his minor injuries. Ginny had to admit, Cory could put on a good show. For someone who just got a bruise on his arm, he was certainly acting like he was about to die from the pain at any moment, but still being healthy enough to recount the events of the night from his own perspective.

'How do you think _they're_ doing?' asked Neville, keen to break the silence. However, as soon as he asked, he bit his tongue and wished he hadn't said anything at all.

Ginny's stomach lurched at the thought of him again. With all the adrenaline and excitement surrounding the fight, she had almost forgotten about the danger he might be in. While her wand was doing its stuff and she was taking on the Slytherins, the only possibility in her mind was that he was winning. However, reality was beginning to sink in and the thought of Harry Potter being in peril was seeming more and more believable. But she couldn't believe it.

And it wasn't just him. Her own brother, Ron Weasley, and Hermione, someone she had always considered as a close friend, was out there, fighting the unknown. It was hard enough battling where Ginny was, and these Slytherins were nothing like the Death Eaters that _they_ would be forced to face, now would they? She knew that the three were going to do something big, something that would put them in the history books, but she never thought it would have to be this.

Yes, the thought of Harry in danger was killing her inside and the only thing that was keeping her from completely breaking down was the thought of Harry surviving; the thought of him coming back to her.

It was the only thing worth thinking about, and it consumed her. At night, she dreamed about the moment of victory - and only that. It was always the same dream. Everyone around her would be cheering, Goblets raised in the air. And there he would be - unscathed and cheery. He would run to her and she would meet him with open arms. They would share a kiss, a kiss that she had not experienced since she last kissed him all those weeks ago back at the Burrow. However, this dream would soon brutally end as she would wake up and realise that it was all a dream, and there was so much more to be done before it would become a reality. Nevertheless, that's what kept her going through the day; the thought that her dream may very well turn into a reality.

All she could come out with was, 'They're probably doing their best.' What Ginny didn't want to add was, 'Or they'd be dead.' However, the same exact thought passed through Neville's mind as she said it.

'Right then,' chimed Seamus, pretending that he hadn't just interrupted an emotional moment. These kinds of events were something that he tried his best to avoid. 'Whose up for our punishment?'

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Draco made a note to himself that Astoria was certainly worth keeping an eye on. However, all he managed to figure out after a morning of surveillance was that she was rather annoying. Her frailty had lost any charm it had previously had and just made her seem a little pathetic in comparison to her sister. Draco couldn't decide which of the two he disliked more. In the end, he decided that Astoria might actually be bearable, as she was the most likely to obey him.

Noticing how his gaze was focused on her, Astoria's movements were a lot more rigid than they usually were. She knew that she had to appear confident and natural - in order to keep up appearances for her sister's sake - but this only made her uneasy and she began to look more like a timid tree if it had been enchanted to move on stiff leg at a time.

The first time Astoria actually managed to breathe was once their years parted ways and she began to walk to Muggle studies freely, and completely livid. Looking at him for the last time that morning resentfully, she said, 'I don't see why he has to stare at me anyway. Is he trying to prove something?'

'It's hardly like him to have any leadership complexes. We're hardly a threat,' replied Leela.

Smiling at this, Astoria stated, 'We don't want to be a threat, anyway.' She couldn't help but take pride in the fact that Draco actually might feel a little threatened. Sure, they never showed any want of power, but Astoria was the one who managed to knock Draco over the night before, something that certainly shocked him - even perhaps more shocked than herself.

Though Astoria had hoped Leela hadn't picked up the satisfied grin and the meaning behind her words, Leela wasn't dim. 'But why would be think that we _could_ be?'

'Whatever I might have done, all I have to say is that he deserved it.' And this was true. How _dare_ he judge the way that her sister treats her. True, there is a lot left to be desired about the way Daphne handled affairs, but that was nothing for Draco Malfoy to comment on. If he disliked the order of things, he could by all means gossip among his other associates, but to question it right in front of her! There was only so much nerve that could be appreciated before it appears downright annoying.

'That's not mysterious _at all_,' replied Leela sarcastically, to which Astoria's smile grew wider. Standing in front of the door, Leela whispered, 'Feel like doing to the Nurse?'

'We have a Nurse now?' Since the dismissal of Madam Pomfrey - who was rumoured to be hiding on the Grounds in order to look after sick Gryffindors - it was hard to find anyone willing to join the Hogwarts staff. Nobody could be surprised that adults from around the area were slightly cautious about being so close to the Carrows and Snape. They may be slightly unaware about what was going on, but nobody could expect the people to be completely stupid.

'That doesn't matter. I don't want to do this.'

To this, Astoria merely shrugged her shoulders. Astoria didn't want to be there either, but as Slytherins they had to be. Even though the lecture they were about to go through would be completely heart-rendering, at least pretending to believe in it was the only way that the two of them were going to survive.

They were about to move on, but Astoria noticed that Leela's feet were firmly on the ground. Trying to appear natural, Astoria hissed, 'Remember what this is?'

Eyes narrowing, Leela answered, 'One big game of Mudbloods and Purebloods.'

'And so far, which team always wins?'

'Purebloods.'

'So what team do we _have_ to be on?'

'Purebloods.' The word came out of Leela's mouth as if she was uttering a foul word. In fact, her whole body shuddered at the thought of it. So far as she was concerned, there were no Purebloods. They were certainly pure witches, but their blood were probably anything but pure and clean by a certain stage.

Nodding her head slowly, Astoria said, 'Right. Well, here we go,' while grabbing onto Leela's hand and dragging her into the classroom.

Alecto Carrow was standing behind her desk, but it took a while for the students to register that she was actually standing. Her plump figure reminded Astoria of the creatures she would hear about in her stories - the ones that used to haunt her dreams. This made Astoria flinch; the thought that she now had people in her every day life that were the things of nightmares.

'Muggles,' she snarled, with as much loathing as Leela had when she said, 'Purebloods.' Looking around the room, Alecto continued to ask, 'What are they?'

'Foul, dirty beasts,' said one Slytherin, Prudence Crinwald, and the others cheered. The other houses openly grunted at this, apart from a few Ravenclaws whose eyes merely widened.

Alecto's thin lips curled into a nauseating smile and she sneered, 'Good. When you think of Muggles, it's best to think of cattle.'

'Funny, I don't recall cattle looking anything like us,' stated Leela darkly, in a voice so low that only the person next to her, Astoria, could hear.

Just as quietly, Astoria warned, 'Careful.'

'All cattle, must be carefully surveyed and kept under control,' boomed Alecto, 'or their actions could be dire...'

'Give her some credit,' added Astoria. 'She knows what "dire" means. She's certainly gone above my expectations.'

Leela chortled, but was caught by Alecto. Though she had expected to be reprimanded, Alecto was obviously under the impression that her laugh was showing agreement rather than to ridicule like its actual purpose. Whether this was fortunate or unfortunate was unclear, but Leela felt like it was the worse thing in the world, as Alecto was now misunderstood into thinking that they were somehow on the same page.

For the rest of the lesson, Leela made a point of seeming as under interested as possible to correct this. The last thing she wanted was support from the staff, especially from members of the staff such as the Carrows. Leela could only take so much pretending in one day. Astoria was a much better fake that her, having had to fake this at home for her whole life. But Leela was a member of a very open family, one that allowed Leela to go through her days without expressing her views. Sure, she could never reveal any Muggle sympathies, but she certainly didn't have to live in fear like Astoria. However, Astoria's way of life was now appearing to have benefits, benefits that Leela wished she had - such as her control.

'... of course we'll cover that later.'

Leela hadn't even realised how much of the lesson she had wasted daydreaming. The time had passed so quickly that she had failed to notice any of the information that Alecto had given her. So slacking had its advantages - who knew? All she knew for certain was that she couldn't have been happier to escape to Potions. Although, potions was only slightly better because Professor Slughorn wasn't a Death Eater, something was was becoming more rare.

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'They didn't say a thing!' exclaimed Seamus in disbelief. He had been expecting some kind of beating or glare from Amycus for the whole of Dark Arts. However, all that they received were a few threats from the Slytherins - but recently, that still meat a good day so far as he was concerned.

Neville agreed, though he was slightly disappointed. He secretly marvelled the punishment. It wasn't in a dodgy way - but just that he adored the fact that they got to the Slytherins; it showed that there really was a victory. All of this quiet brooding didn't really satisfy Neville the way other reactions would; all it did was hint that the Slytherins were _mildly irritated_ by the whole thing.

'I really thought they would have said _something_,' pressed Seamus. 'After all, it's not like they just to forget about things.'

'Maybe it was how they lost that's shut them up,' mused Neville. When Seamus didn't reply, Neville thought that it was because he was confused, so he said, 'The fact that two of their own didn't bother to warn them.

The truth was that Seamus understood him before that, but was merely lost in his own thoughts because of it. He had a dream about the girls in the short nap he had between the battle and clearing up. They were standing on a beach and they were about a yard from him. They were drawing him nearing in cascades of gold. He moved nearer, but he saw that there was green hidden beneath the pale, peach coloured skin and they began to hiss at him. He then lost his footing, and then fell into quick-sand, being sucked into the ground beneath him.

Since he had never been a lover of Divination and reading dreams, he found it quite easy to dismiss it. Nevertheless, this did not stop the alarming question being raised about the girls. And that was _why_ didn't they warn their fellow Slytherins? There were so many reasons that would seem miraculous to the Gryffindors but there was one piece of evidence that went against all of that: they were Slytherins. It was already an impossible idea to Seamus that they would not interfere, let alone do something to hinder the Slytherin's chances.

'I think we should keep a close eye on them,' concluded Seamus.

'Same.'

And with that, _another_ surveillance had begun.


End file.
